Former first lady and One Economy Foundation founder Monica Geingos says she will not call herself a doctor until she works towards finalising her own PhD.

She said this after receiving an honourary doctorate degree from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.

She says her late husband Hage Geingob told her to never use the word 'doctor' as he believed it is meant to honour.

"This honorary doctorate really means more to me. It feels like confirmation that he was right when he told me to focus on what matters.

"He received six doctorates and never once referred to himself as doctor. He asked that I never use an honourary title because he wanted me to earn my own," she says.

Geingos (59) says she would cherish the honour of the honorary doctorate, as she believes it recognises her previous work while serving as a call to continued purpose and a challenge to remain worthy of the university's confidence.

The One Economy Foundation and BeFree Movement founder was listed among the top 100 prominent African women in 2020.

She became Namibia's third first lady in 2015.